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Alumni Spotlight: Isabel DeRoberts '09

Making an impact on Cleveland’s real estate industry through urban planning, design, and development, Isabel DeRoberts ‘09 is channeling her Corporate Work Study Program experience in building her career today.

As a Saint Martin student, Isabel secured an outside internship with Colliers Ostendorf-Morris where she was first exposed to real estate brokerage. Although they did not typically hire high school students at the time, the company was impressed by Isabel’s Corporate Work Study Program experience and made an exception. Isabel quickly began learning the ins and outs of the real estate industry at a young age sparking her passion for her future career. Colliers Ostendorf-Morris even signed on as a Saint Martin Corporate Work Study Partner in 2007 where Isabel worked during her junior and senior year. “I chose Saint Martin for the Corporate Work Study Program. A big part of professional life is showing up, being on time, and building relationships, which are all skills I learned through my CWSP jobs.”

After graduating from Saint Martin in 2009, Isabel attended Cleveland State University and received her bachelor’s degree in 2013 in urban studies with a concentration in urban planning. She continued at Cleveland State and received her master’s degree in urban planning design & development with a concentration in real estate finance & development. While studying for her master’s, Isabel began working at CBRE Group Inc., a full service commercial real estate firm, doing marketing, research, and support before transitioning into her current role as an Associate.

Although there is no typical day on the job, Isabel focuses primarily on office brokerage and development opportunities. She represents K&D Group, which is downtown Cleveland’s largest property owner, overseeing the leasing of their commercial portfolio. She has worked extensively on redevelopment opportunities that qualify for Historic Preservation Tax Credits such as the disposition of the May Company Portfolio and former Downtown Cleveland YMCA. Whether she is hosting building tours, completing leasing proposals, or evaluating assets, Isabel loves meeting new people on the job and discovering Cleveland’s hidden gems.

As she reflects on her high school years at Saint Martin, Isabel shares how her Corporate Work Study Program experience helped her get to where she is today. “It opened doors for me and allowed me to meet and connect with people who I still work with to this day. My business partner now was someone I worked with at my CWSP job in high school. It is so cool to see how everything comes full circle!”